Norway rats from the port. Roof rats from the live-oak canopy. Savannah has heavy year-round rat pressure from both species, and they need different treatment plans. We identify which you have, then treat accordingly.
Rat control in Savannah is the inspection, removal, and exclusion work needed to clear an active rat infestation from a home or business and keep it clear long-term. Savannah's two main rat species — Norway rats moving through port corridors, restaurant alleys, and sewers, and roof rats traveling overhead through the city's live-oak and pecan canopy — need completely different approaches. Our rat control programs start with a species-ID inspection, then apply targeted trapping, exterior bait stations where warranted, and full perimeter exclusion sealing. Standard residential scope runs $350–$1,200 depending on building size, species, and condition.
Three Savannah-specific factors drive heavy rat pressure year-round. One: the Savannah River port and its associated rail and logistics corridors have supported Norway rat populations for two centuries. Downtown's Bay Street restaurant row, Garden City's container yards, and Port Wentworth's industrial properties all sit in that corridor. Two: the city's live-oak canopy — particularly across Ardsley Park, the Historic District, and Gordonston — drops acorns and provides overhead travel routes that roof rats use to reach attics directly without ever touching the ground. Three: the humid subtropical climate means rat populations don't crash in winter the way they do further north. Activity stays elevated twelve months a year.
Practically, that means rat work in Savannah is never a one-shot job. Single bait drops and snap-trap-only treatments fail repeatedly here because the pressure simply doesn't relent. The buildings that stay rat-free are the ones with thorough exclusion sealing on the building envelope and ongoing monitoring at vulnerable points.
We walk the property and check droppings, gnaw marks, runways, and harborage. Norway and roof rats leave different evidence and need different traps.
Every gap larger than a quarter inch on the building envelope gets photographed and marked. Brick-pier foundations, soffit returns, utility penetrations, garage door gaps.
Interior trapping at active runways. Exterior bait stations only when warranted — never broadcast inside a home with pets or children.
We seal every entry point we mapped. Materials chosen to match the building — copper mesh and mortar on historic masonry, hardware cloth and sealant on soffits, weatherstrip on garage doors.
Return visit at 10–14 days to check stations, verify activity has stopped, adjust if needed. Written summary at completion.
Pricing varies by building size, species pressure, and exclusion scope. Below are typical ranges for Savannah-area properties — final quote always provided in writing before work begins.
| Scope | What's included | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Single-visit interior service | Inspection, interior trapping setup, 1 follow-up visit | $350–$550 |
| Standard residential program | Above + exterior bait stations + targeted exclusion sealing | $650–$1,200 |
| Historic home or large property | Full scope including extensive brick-pier or crawl-space exclusion | $1,200–$2,500 |
| Commercial / restaurant program | Compliance-grade with documentation, exterior stations, monthly service | $200–$500/month |
All prices include the initial inspection, treatment, and a written summary. Final quote is provided in writing before any work begins — no surprise fees.
| DIY rat control | Professional service | |
|---|---|---|
| Species ID | Most homeowners can't reliably distinguish Norway vs. roof rat from droppings or runways — easy to deploy the wrong trap. | Diagnosed in the first 15 minutes of inspection. Treatment plan is built for the actual species present. |
| Entry-point sealing | Hardware-store foam and steel wool seal visible gaps; brick-pier foundations, soffit gaps, and utility penetrations usually missed. | Full building-envelope audit — every quarter-inch gap mapped, photographed, and sealed with appropriate material per surface. |
| Rodenticide use | Over-the-counter baits broadcast inside or improperly deployed — risk to pets, children, and non-target wildlife. | Restricted-use baits deployed only in tamper-resistant exterior stations where warranted. Interior work defaults to mechanical traps. |
| Total cost (typical) | $80–$200 in supplies plus 15–30 hours of labor — and the problem usually returns inside 6 months. | $650–$1,200 done once, 90-day warranty, exclusion sealing that holds for years. |
A pair of rats in your attic can become 30 rats in eight months. Same-day inspections across Savannah and Chatham County.
📞 Call (912) 305-0115Norway rats are heavier (7–10 inches plus tail), with blunt noses, small ears, and shorter tails relative to body length. They stay at ground level — crawl spaces, basements, behind appliances, exterior burrows. Roof rats are smaller (6–8 inches), with pointed noses, large ears, and tails longer than their bodies. They live overhead — attics, palm fronds, live-oak canopies, soffit voids. If you hear scratching in the attic at night, it's almost always roof rats. If you see droppings in the crawl space or behind the dishwasher, more likely Norway rats.
Roof rats specifically peak in October and November as the live oaks drop acorns and temperatures push them to seek warmer harborage. The Historic District, Ardsley Park, Gordonston, and any neighborhood with mature tree canopy sees a noticeable seasonal spike. Norway rats stay at relatively constant pressure year-round but you may notice them more in fall as outdoor food sources shift.
Exterior bait stations are tamper-resistant and locked — the rodenticide is inside a chamber a dog can't reach through. The stations are bolted or weighted in place, and we position them along foundations and fence lines where dogs don't typically rest. We're happy to walk through placement with you before installing anything.
Yes, when it's done thoroughly. Most professional exclusion work in Savannah holds for years on the sealed sections — what fails is when new gaps open from settling, weather damage, contractor work, or pest pressure on unsealed sections. We warranty our exclusion for 90 days on residential and longer on commercial maintenance programs. If a sealed section is breached inside the warranty, we come back at no charge.
For a typical single-family Savannah home, inspection is 45–75 minutes, initial treatment setup adds another 30–60 minutes, and the follow-up visit at 10–14 days takes about 30 minutes. Exclusion work on a historic home with brick-pier foundation can require a full half-day on the sealing alone. Active populations usually crash inside 7–10 days of trapping; verifying it's actually clear takes the full follow-up window.
Yes — Savannah's downtown restaurant corridor has been a Norway rat pressure zone for as long as there's been a port. Our commercial restaurant programs include monthly exterior station service, interior monitoring stations in code-compliant locations, documentation suitable for health inspection records, and same-day response when activity appears between visits. See our restaurant rodent control service page for details.
Yes. Rats gnaw to keep their incisors filed and will damage wiring, water lines, structural wood, and insulation. Roof rats in Savannah attics frequently chew through wire insulation, which is a fire risk. Norway rats in crawl spaces damage vapor barriers and HVAC ducting. The longer an infestation runs, the more compounding damage. Catching it early is meaningfully cheaper than waiting.
Yes. Interior treatment defaults to mechanical traps. We use rodenticides only in tamper-resistant exterior bait stations when warranted, and even those we'll skip if you'd prefer. Every product on the property is explained before we deploy it, and we provide the EPA label information if you want to review it.
Yes. We cover all of Chatham County plus adjacent towns in Effingham, Bryan, and Liberty counties — Pooler, Garden City, Port Wentworth, Tybee Island, Whitemarsh Island, Wilmington Island, Skidaway Island, Thunderbolt, Richmond Hill, Pembroke, Rincon, Guyton, Springfield, Bloomingdale, Hinesville, Midway, Eden, and more. See our service areas page for the full list.
Related Savannah services: our exclusion sealing program · Savannah's roof rat specialists · port-borne Norway rat removal.
Trusted Coastal Georgia rodent specialists since 2023. Same-day inspection and quote — no charge.
📞 Call (912) 305-0115